Wonju Countdown : 4 weeks before the Festival !

The 16th edition of the Wonju Hanji Festival will be held in the city of Wonju (Gangwon province, in the northeastern part of South Korea) from September 25 to 28, 2014.

This Festival is a major event, and I am both nervous and excited to have a chance to display and sell my creations in such a nice venue.

At this moment, I am still (im)patiently waiting for a confirmation of my participation in the Festival. My application has been sent, and I had a verbal confirmation that my items are appropriate, but I still have to wait until September 2 to get the final "yes"!

In the meantime, I don't have a minute to lose!

A New Chance

As some of you might know, I was going to take part in the Jeonju Hanji Festival in May 2014, but the event was cancelled after a tragic ferry accident occurred in South Korea, leaving the whole country devastated and mourning. It was a very difficult moment for me, as I was looking forward to the Festival and had worked extensively to get ready for it.

After such a bitter disappointment, participating in the Wonju Hanji Festival appears like a golden opportunity for me; it's a new chance that I definitely don't want to miss! I won't spare any effort to make this venture a success.


Getting Ready for my First Festival

On top of being my first take at this specific Festival, it will be my very first time as a seller in a craft show EVER! It is a big stress, but I have decided to "attack" this challenge with the same technique I have developed for the large dinner parties I enjoy throwing several times a year (I must give credit and gratitude to my dear friend Lee for suggesting this approach)!

I have to say that my friends like to tease me about my "Thanksgiving Planner", a 4-page Excel spreadsheet pinned to my refrigerator that allows me to get through Thanksgiving week (for which, in Korea, we get no time off from work) without any meltdowns, broken friendships or emergency trips to Costco!

So, for the Festival I decided to create this planner that I enthusiastically named "Hanji Festival Battle Plan"! It contains three parts: a detailed timeline, a complete inventory and a check list.

1) My Timeline 

I started my planning as soon as I found out that I might be able to participate, which was about 6 weeks before the actual Festival.

In my timeline I made sure to include :

• A "countdown" by weeks, with the exact dates:
• The timeline goes backwards in time, which means that the last week before the Festival is at the top of the chart. I have to work my way up, rather than down;

• The details of every single task that need to be done:
• including the simplest ones (I have a tendency to overlook the obvious when I'm busy);

• The people involved in each of the tasks:
• For example: because I need my friend's assistance to translate my price tags into Korean, I make sure to plan ahead and choose a moment where she would be available to give me a hand;


• A "Production calendar" column in which I list the different items I need to make and/or finish before the Festival:
• I made sure to indicate how many of each type of items I wish to make;
• I tried to keep it realistic, especially considering the free time I have outside of work and the time and energy that the other tasks will demand (e.g. get the business cards and banner printed, prepare the price tags and price lists, etc.)

Timeline
Countdown	Dates	Details	People involved		PRODUCTION CALENDAR
The week of the Event	Sept 21~27
1 week before Event	Sept 14~20
2 weeks before Event	Sept 7~13
3 weeks before Event	Aug 31~Sept 6
4 weeks before Event	Aug 24~30
5 weeks before Event	Aug 17~23
6 weeks before Event	Aug 10~16

2- A complete inventory

My inventory is divided in three columns:

• A column for my target number of items
• A column for the number of actual items that are ready (completely done, ready to ship/sell)
• A column that shows my progress in percentage (number of finished items / target number)

I also use a color code that allows me to see clearly where I stand, and what types of items I should focus on to make sure I reach my objective (from green to red, according to my degree of completion)


3- A Check List

My Check List will certainly be my  most important tool when time comes to pack my bags to go to the Festival. As Wonju is located more than 2 hours away from my place, I have to make sure I don't forget anything essential that would force me to run around town in a city I don't know, or worse... force me to turn around!

My Check List contains an exhaustive list of things I need to bring, prepare and plan for the booth.

The list is divided in seven different sections :

• Items for Sale
• Earrings, plates, trays, hair accessories, etc.

• Display 
• Table cloths
• Racks
• Supports
• Mirrors
• Price tags
• Posters and signs, etc.

• Business 
  
• Small bills and coins
• Receipt pad
• Price lists
• Calculator
• Pen and paper, etc.

• Marketing and Promotion 
• Business cards
• Banner
• List for subscription to my Newsletter, etc.

• Wrapping and Packing 
• Bubble wrap
• Bags
• Ribbon
• Stickers, etc.

• Tool Box
• Extension cord
• Power bar
• Tape
• Scissors
• Screwdrivers
• Glue
• Brushes
• Knives
• Cutting mat
• Post-it notes, tacks, etc.

• Naty's Survival Kit 
• Band aids
• Water and snacks
• Charging cables (for camera, phone, etc.)
• Moist towelettes, gum, sun cream, etc.

Categorizing allows me to stay focused, and to make sure I don't forget anything. Also, placing different things in a category helps me see clearly what is missing, or what would be useful or necessary : writing down  "hammer" in the Tool Kit list will naturally remind me to bring nails, too!

I also decided to include a category for "Naty's Survival Kit" because I have the bad habit of neglecting my own personal needs when I get excited and consumed by a project!


More resources for Craft show preparation

There are so great resources out there to help you prepare for a big event, such as a Festival or a Craft show.

Here are some useful blog posts :
⇝ Craft Show Preparation ~ Getting Ready Set Go! (SPSTeam on Etsy)
http://strategicpromotionforsuccess.blogspot.kr/2013/11/craft-show-preparation-getting-ready.html

⇝ How to prepare for a Craft Fair? (Art Mind)
http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.kr/2009/07/how-to-prepare-for-craft-fair.html


⇝ 6 Simple Ways to Avoid Dumb Mistakes at a Craft Show : What You Can Learn from a Boy Scout (The Crafts Report)

http://www.craftsreport.com/beginning-business/204-avoid-dumb-show-mistakes.html


⇝ 10 Tips on Surviving Your First Craft Show (Catshy Crafts)
http://catshy.blogspot.kr/2013/01/10-tips-on-surviving-your-first-craft.html

How about you?

Do you have any craft or art show tips to share? how do you prepare for a craft show? Are there essentials missing from my Check list?

Visitors and shoppers, what are you looking for when you visit an Craft show? What are your pet peeves? What are the things that charm you? excite you? annoy you?

Please leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you.

Wonju Festival 2014 : Do We Have a Date?

There are two main poles for Hanji paper in Korea : the city of Jeonju, in the province of Jeollabuk-do (southwest of the peninsula) and the city of Wonju, in the province on Gangwon-do (northeast). They both have installations dedicated to Hanji paper (a museum in Jeonju, a theme park in Wonju...), numerous Hanji paper shops and, they both host an annual Hanji Festival.

I was supposed to take part in the 2014 Edition of the Jeonju Festival last May, but the Festival was cancelled. The next edition of the Jeonju Festival will be held in May 2015.

The 2014 Wonju Hanji Festival

The Wonju Festival will be held from September 25 to 28 in the city of Wonju, Gangwon-do province. Despite the distance (about 200km from my house here in Iksan), I have decided to apply for a booth at the Wonju Festival! Not being able to part take in the Jeonju Festival was a huge disappointment for me, and I don't want to miss the chance to show my work in the Wonju event!

I visited the Festival last year and was really pleased with the beauty of the site and the installations! I am really hoping I can part take in the event this year.

Apply, then wait

I submitted my application (and my payment! ;) to the Wonju Festival at the beginning of the week, and I now have to patiently wait until September 2 to know if I will be able to have a booth or not (the deadline to apply for a booth is August 31). Patience not being my greatest quality, I can feel it's going to be a long couple of weeks!

Getting ready for the Wonju Festival

In the meantime, I keep on working to make as many items as possible! I have an objective of 600 items for the Festival; will I be able to reach my target? 

I have already started to work steadily to make all kinds of items for the upcoming festival; I even added a few new items to my collection, including head bands, cell phone pendants and brooches. I have also made an interesting selection of coasters (round and square), pen holders, square plates and jewelry boxes.

I am also working hard to make a large quantity of Hanji paper earrings and French barrettes (of different sizes), as I expect the smaller objects to be popular at the Festival.

I am also hoping to have several larger items on display (and for sale), such as larger chests, tissue box covers and tea trays.

I will surely keep you posted on the latest developments! Stay tuned... and keep your fingers crossed for me!

* * *

For more information on the Wonju Hanji Festival :

- Korea Tourism Organization : http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=790317

- Festival Website : http://wonjuhanji.co.kr/new/main.php (in Korean only)

ON SALE!

HanjiNaty ON SALE! by hanjinaty on Polyvore

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A Crafter's Paradise in Seoul

Seoul is a paradise for shoppers : the mega city is packed with shops, outdoor markets, street vendors and mega shopping complexes. You can spend days, possibly weeks, browsing through the mazes of shops and store all over the city.

One of the most exciting places to visit is Dongdaemun Market, the biggest shopping district in Seoul. It is a full neighborhood, filled with countless shops, selling about everything you can dream of!

Today I want to take you to the Crafter's Paradise: the Dongdaemun Shopping Complex!


Six floors of Sewing and Crafting Supplies

The Shopping complex is a gigantic 7-floor building with thousands of vendors offer a head-spinning selection of crafting and sewing supplies.


Here is the detail of each floor in the Complex :

7F : Management / Offices
6F : Telecommunication Room / Headquarters / Offices
5F : Materials / Accessories / Beads / Buttons / Lace
4F : Various Fabrics / Cotton Fabrics
3F : Various Fabrics / Cotton Fabrics
2F : Various Fabrics / Silks / Hanbok / Curtains
1F : Bedding / Handicrafts / Plates / Curtains / Living Essentials
B1 : Various Threads / Blankets / Handicrafts / Curtains


The basement and the first floor are dedicated to sewing supplies: millions of buttons, kilometers of thread, ribbons and trim, tons of buckles, zippers, patches, embroideries, etc. Trust me, it will make your head spin!


The second, third and fourth floors are entirely dedicated to fabric. You can literally get lost in the sea of vibrant colors and textures, and the shopping complex is so unbelievably large and packed to the ceiling with goods.

The second floor is specializing in silk and luxurious fabrics chosen to make the Hanbok, gorgeous and colorful traditional Korean outfit worn for wedding ceremonies and other important events.




Take me to the 5th Floor, please!

For me, the party begins when I reach the fifth floor, dedicated to Jewelry and Accessory supplies!

There are hundreds of booths and the selection is mind-blowing : lace, ribbons, beads, charms, rubber bands, hair barrettes, pins and bands, feathers, leather, hardware, felt, polymer rings and bracelets, jump rings, fasteners, silver and gold chains, quilting supplies, etc.

Visiting this market can be very overwhelming. As most places in Asia, it's crowded, buzzing and loud and, most importantly, packed with stuff! Most of the shops have boxes and bags of goods literally piled up to the ceiling.






Welcome to the Bead Buffet

Many shops on the 5th floor sell beads and charms for jewelry making. Their tables basically look like bead buffets! You can pick and choose from their selection, using tiny bowls or baskets.

Most of the things can be bought individually (prices vary from a few cents to a few dollars per item), but you can also negotiate a better price for a larger quantity. Asian shop owners are used to bargaining, so do not be afraid to ask for discounts.

I would also recommend you pay cash for your purchases, as shop owners are more willing to give you interesting prices when you pay cash, rather than with a credit or debit card.




An overwhelming experience!


Visiting this market (like most large shopping centers in Asia main cities) can be an overwhelming experience. The place is large and there are people everywhere; the concept of "personal space" is more or less inexistent in Korea, so you can expect to be pushed and pulled, and have people standing "in your bubble" all the time!


To make things easier and more pleasant, make sure to go there without any shopping bags or large backpacks, as navigating the narrow alleys can be challenging. Also, I would recommend you visit the market when you have enough time to browse through the numerous booths and compare the different products available. The prices do not vary that much from a booth to another, but the selection does.



Find your way

The booths are numbered with a system similar to street addresses, so make sure to pick up the business cards of the shops you especially like, as you might have a hard time finding them again.

Finally, remember that you can request your goods to be shipped directly to you by the merchant (ask for taekbae, 택배). This is very convenient, especially if you are purchasing heavy or large items.

The cost of delivery on the Korean peninsula is between 3,000 or 4,000won ($3~$4), and it usually gets to you within 2 days.



What did you buy?

Maybe are you wondering : what did Naty buy at the Shopping complex?... Well, this time I was looking for some hair accessory supplies, and I have found beautiful stainless steel Alligator clips, along with sturdy metal headband.

I also purchased nice stainless steel key chains and key rings (did you know that Korea is famous for its high-quality stainless steel products?), glue and other trinkets.

I have also found these very nice wooden discs with a slight convexity that will be perfect for new HanjiNaty earrings!

How to get there?

The easiest way to get there is to take the Seoul subway, to Dongdaemun Station. 

Take Exit no.8 and walk along the waterside. The Dongdaemun Shopping Complex is next to the JW Marriot Hotel.

For more information (in English) :
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273734

Thinking Outside The Box

Hanji kits are widely available in Korea.

When I started creating Hanji items, I naturally bought pre-cut frames and forms that are easy to handle and offer perfectly straight lines and edges.

As choosing the colors and the patterns has always been my favorite part of the Hanji creative process, I quickly moved away from "kits", that come with the frame and the Hanji paper. They're easy to find and they can be quite tempting: the paper is already measured, the patterns already cut, the colors already chosen. All you have to do it to clue the paper onto the form and voilà! You are done.

My very first Hanji creation!

For me, Hanji crafts have always been more than that. From my very first lesson with my Hanji teacher, I insisted on cutting all the designs myself.

She was quite surprised, but she didn't try to discourage me: she pulled out this gigantic folder, overflowing with designs of all sorts and sizes, and she let me choose. I chose traditional Korean ducks (a symbol of marital love and companionship) for my tissue case.

It took forever, but I did it. The cutting wasn't perfect, the lines weren't as sharp as I wanted them to be, but it was all MINE. My work. My effort. My creation. And it's always meant the world to me. And after making one I knew that I wouldn't stop anytime soon!


Thinking Outside the Box

After using only forms for a while, I decided to purchase some large sheets of sturdy single-core cardboard and cut it myself, in order to create my own objects. Blisters and cursing were to be expected!

After much effort (and way-too-many measuring attempts), I was able to construct a small desk organizer with two long drawers to hold pencils and a larger open part to hold post-it notes, small notebooks and other ephemera. It took me a while to make it, and it's far from straight (my two grandfathers being carpenters, I should have been good at this! but well... we are who we are, I guess) but it's all mine. And I love it! It's been following me from desks to desks in my different schools, and every time I look at it it reminds me of what Hanji means to me.

From then on I started to cut my own cardboard to create square magnets. I couldn't find squares of the desired size already cut so I had to make them myself! Same thing with the hair barrettes that are now one of the most popular items in my Etsy shop; I cut the thick cardboard myself to suit my needs, and it allows me a flexibility and countess possibilities that I would never give up again.

  

Beloved Leftovers

For the longest time I didn't know what to do with Hanji paper scraps. They were everywhere on my desk, on the floor of my office and even sometimes in my cats' water bowl!...

I didn't have any use for the tiny strips of paper, but I didn't have the heart to throw away such precious material. Therefore, I kept stuffing the craps in a cardboard box with the vague idea of "doing something with it later", which should probably be our motto, us crafters and craftoholics...! No kidding, how many have you said yourself this beloved sentence?

Believe it or not, the time came to finally "do something" with all these little scraps and strips of paper. One day, I was trying to decide what to do with small rectangles of sturdy cardboard when the idea struck me : how about Hanji jewelry? I started playing around with scraps and made my very first pair of earrings that day!

I have been making dozens of pairs of earrings ever since, and I am slowing extending my collection to include key chains, phone pendants, and possibly other small items!

     

I still have mountains of scraps in my workshop (I seem to be producing scraps faster than I can use them!) but now at least I know that they will be put to good use in the near future!

Do you have any other ideas to use all these scraps of cardboard and strips of Hanji paper? Leave a comment on the Blog!

To read more about my Hanji adventures and projects :

My love story with Hanji : 

http://www.hanjinaty.com/2013/04/my-love-story-with-hanji.html

Off the Walls : 

http://www.hanjinaty.com/2013/08/off-walls.html

My meaningful Hanji trip to Seoul :

http://www.hanjinaty.com/2014/03/my-meaningful-hanji-trip-to-seoul.html

Your Online Tool box!

As an Etsy shop owner, I am discovering everyday new ways to promote my work and my shop.

Here is a non-exhausting (and non-pretentious) "Online Tool Box" that I have put together for all the Etsy shop owners out there! I will make sure to update it as soon as I hear of new tools, apps and websites that can help us all make our shops more successful !

Making and Promoting Treasuries                                                   

One of the great tools on the Etsy website are the treasuries. A treasury is a 16-item collection curated by Etsy members. It is a great way to showcase your work!

Here are some interesting tools that will help you make your treasuries faster and more efficiently, as well as promoting them on different platforms.

✔ Brittany's Best Treasury Box

The Treasury Box is an extension that can be installed on Google Chrome only. It is very useful to make treasuries, send group convos (to the shop owners featured in your treasury) and to save an image of any treasury on Etsy. It's free.
brittanysbest.com/treasurybox-chrome-extension/

✔ Shmetsy

Shmetsy offers three convenient tools : Shmetsy Sketchy (that allows you to save your treasuries as drafts), Treasury Maker (that allows you to create treasuries more quickly and efficiently) and Convos Sender (you can send convos to the shop owners featured in your treasury in one click). It's free.
shmetsy.com/tools.html

✔ Enhantsy
Enhantsy is a convenient extension that can be installed on your Internet browser and that offer different features to make treasuries and send convos much more easily. It used to be free, but now you have to pay about $3 a month to use it, after the 7-day free trial period.
enhantsy.com/

✔ Treasury Pin
Treasury Pin is a great tool that allows you to pin your treasuries onto Pinterest, with a customizing tool to pin collages of all the items in the treasury, rather than the first item only.
treasurypin.com/

Monitoring Traffic                                                                            

Another important aspect of our Etsy business is the monitoring of traffic. How many views and favorites do my items get? Where are the visitors from? How are my items positioned compared to the other shops' products?

✔ Heart-O-Matic
This tool gives you the detail of the hearts (favorites) your shop and your different items got. You can also access a complete list of the people who favorited your shop.
craftcult.com/heartomatic.php

✔ Are my Listings relevant?

You can check the relevancy of your tags and titles with this online tool.
tools4etsy.com/Wall-e/Relevancy/Keyword

✔ Are my Listings trending?

Are you items trending? You can find out with one click, using this tool.
tools4etsy.com/Wall-e/Trending

✔ Craft Count
You can take a look at lists of the top sellers on Etsy, and see how your shop is positioned compared to the best sellers out there.
craftcount.com

Improving SEO and Tags                                                                   

✔ Tag Wars
This very useful tool gives you a chance to compare different tags and see which one has the highest relevancy, popularity and probability rates. This is a great way to choose the best tags to be found in searches.
tools4etsy.com/TagWars

Boosting up your Blog or Website                                                         

There are some great tools out there to boost up your blog or website.

✔ Shop Widget
This tool will give you a chance to add a dynamic shop widget (with integrated slide show) onto your blog or website. Easy to use, and free!(You can see an example of the widget at the bottom of this page)
craftcult.com/shop_widget.php

✔ Etsy Mini
The Etsy mini is a direct gateway to your shop! You can generate your code and paste it in any webpage or blog HTML. Any change you make in your Etsy shop will be automatically updated in your Etsy mini. You can customize your Etsy mini to suit your needs.
etsy.com/your/mini


Managing your Business                                                                      

✔ Etsy Seller's Worksheet
You can download this convenient seller's worksheet that will help you keep track of your items and optimize your business.
mdmproofing.com/iym/products/etsy/sellers-worksheet/

Offering discounts and coupons                                                           

✔ Etsy on Sale

This website is dedicated uniquely to discounted and on-sale Etsy items. You can use it to promote your items that are on sale, but you will have to purchase credits in order to post on this website.

www.etsyonsale.com


Be seen and heard on social media platforms                                       

✔ Wanelo (wanelo.com)
Wanelo (that stands for Want - Love - Need) is a great site for Etsy shop owners to promote their items. Check it out, and claim your shop today! Someone might have already posted one of your items on Wanelo.

✔ Pinterest (pinterest.com)
It's next to impossible to avoid Pinterest when promoting your Etsy shop! Joining group boards is always an excellent idea to get your items out there.
✔ Facebook (facebook.com)
✔ Tumblr (tumblr.com)
✔ Twitter (twitter.com)

More apps and tools                                                                            

✔ More Etsy apps :
You can browse here to find more Etsy apps. You can arrange the different apps by popularity, newness  or alphabetical order to find what you need :
www.etsy.com/apps


Interesting reads                                                                                   

✔ 8 ways to keep your social media updates fresh :
http://socialmediatoday.com/salman-aslam/2059286/8-ways-keep-your-social-media-updates-fresh

Watch out! The Hanji Web is expanding...!

In the last few months I had the pleasure to make meaningful contacts with other Hanji lovers and craftspeople from different parts of the globe!

It's a thrill and an honor for me when people take the time to send me a message, asking questions or simply encouraging me to pursuit my work.

It seems that the global "Hanji spider web" is expanding! ... and that's awesome news, needless to say!

✔ In the last few months I have received emails from two different people (one lady from Germany, and one young expat who now lives in Seoul, Korea) asking specific questions about Hanji craft and techniques. I really hope that my advice was useful to them, and that they will let me know how their projects are going! ☺

✔ At the end of March, I had the great pleasure to meet a group of Hanji craftspeople up in Seoul, when Hanji artist Jan Coveney was in town and gave a very interesting talk titled "Hanji after Korea";

✔ A Facebook group was recently created by some Hanji lovers in the U.A.E. to give a forum to all the Hanji paper craftspeople out there! (If you wish to join, contact me!)

✔ I received this morning a lovely e-mail from an American young lady who is going to teach a Hanji art program for teens in a public library in the Los Angeles area and who wishes to use some pictures of my work in her promotional flyer. What a thrill!

Watch out ! The gorgeous Hanji paper Web is getting bigger and wider.... you might get caught sooner than you think! ☺